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DPChallenge Forums >> Web Site Suggestions >> Multi-language translations for Editing Rules
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 06/20/2007 06:09:38 PM · #1
Are multi-language translations needed for the Editing Rules? I notice a couple of the most recent disqualifications have been members who (presumably) don't speak English as their primary language. These are people who don't participate in forums, etc. Maybe their English skills are basic enough to get them registered, but little beyond that.

Is this something that could be done by bi-lingual volunteers?

06/20/2007 06:12:58 PM · #2
Awesome suggestion.
 06/20/2007 06:17:12 PM · #3
From what I can see, the main problem with doing the translations is that the wording in the rules is very precisely chosen in order to convey very specific concepts, and any discrepancy between the meanings of the original & translated rules could result in a mess...
 06/20/2007 07:29:35 PM · #4
As long as you can accurately translate one sentence every time:

* Translations are provided as a convenience by volunteer translators and may be subject to discrepancies. In all cases, the original rules are overriding.

=)
06/20/2007 07:30:47 PM · #5
You only need English and Icelandic lol.
 06/20/2007 09:17:46 PM · #6
while the idea is a noble one, i foresee problems when it comes to editing rules discussions because there would be even more discrepancies to debate on! maybe simpler english should be used for the rules?
 06/21/2007 01:58:27 PM · #7

Your reasons why this would be difficult make sense, but... I can't shake the mental picture of some poor photographer (e.g., darasbulba; katOsu) being disqualified and not understanding why.

06/21/2007 02:07:16 PM · #8
Originally posted by citymars:
Your reasons why this would be difficult make sense, but... I can't shake the mental picture of some poor photographer (e.g., darasbulba; katOsu) being disqualified and not understanding why.

Well, anyone submitting an entry must check off a box attesting (in pretty simple English) that they've read, understand, and agree to abide by the rules.

It seems to me that if anyone doesn't understand any part of the rules, the burden is on the photographer to ask for clarification before submitting.
 06/21/2007 02:13:11 PM · #9
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Well, anyone submitting an entry must check off a box attesting (in pretty simple English) that they've read, understand, and agree to abide by the rules.
It seems to me that if anyone doesn't understand any part of the rules, the burden is on the photographer to ask for clarification before submitting.

True, I hadn't thought of that.
 06/21/2007 02:16:54 PM · #10
I still think it's a kind gesture and one very much worth pursuing. We have many bilingual members here who could pitch in and translate the rules. Maybe do Spanish first? Any volunteers?
 06/21/2007 02:20:10 PM · #11
If we provide translations of the rules, would people then assume that they could communicate with the SC in that language? That's one concern that I would have - we aren't really set up to provide multilingual support.
 06/21/2007 02:21:47 PM · #12
The translations could simply state that the SC only offers support in English.
 06/21/2007 02:26:03 PM · #13
So if they read native language rules and then are DQed with an english reason, that's okay?

(I'm not against this, just trying to work out how it would...well, work.)
 06/21/2007 02:28:01 PM · #14
It would have to be made clear in the translation of the rules that the site operates in English, and the translation is a courtesy.
 06/21/2007 02:29:29 PM · #15
I could see rules-only translations. The one thing that would be a *must* would be that the translations would need to be done by someone fluent in both languages and photography terminology. There would be nothing worse than ambiguity or outright error created by translation.
 06/21/2007 02:39:17 PM · #16
How about having the translation made by one or more users who are fluent in that language and work on it in a forum thread so as to find the best wording?
 06/21/2007 02:50:12 PM · #17
It seems possible to me that unless the someone on the SC is fluent in the language we'll never really know whether the translation says what we mean.
 06/21/2007 02:51:27 PM · #18
(On the other hand, I'm not always convinced that the english version says what we really mean either.)
 06/21/2007 02:52:13 PM · #19
Originally posted by mk:
(On the other hand, I'm not always convinced that the english version says what we really mean either.)

Shhh ... that's a separate issue.
 06/21/2007 03:26:02 PM · #20
Originally posted by GeneralE:
[...]We'll never really know whether the translation says what we mean.

No, that is a certainty. A translation that is absolutely accurate is an illusion. In Luxembourg, a lot of official documents come in two languages. In order to avoid confusion, both versions state clearly which one is relevant in case of doubt. Thus, the translations would offer a great possibility for those not fluid in English to get a grasp of the rules, while for DQs the English versions would be the ones on which decisions are based should a subtlety of languages make a difference.
 06/21/2007 03:37:54 PM · #21
you could make a unofficial translation in the forums, and just lead those who cant read english there, and make sure its stated as unoffical... it would be funny if some one went through the trouble to translate it to Spanish then to french (from spanish), then translated to german, translated to chineese then to engligsh.. (the lost in translation idea) and then it says somthing like "your little red cart must be taken between the year of the ram." instead of "photo must be taken between challenge dates"

thats my 2 cents. but the main part, is make it unofficial so we cant to the google translate and spit it back in your faces...
 06/21/2007 05:13:28 PM · #22
Okay, I gave the Basic Editing a quick try so you could get an idea how this could work. Here's what a German version could look like:
Einfache Bearbeitung
Übersicht
Die Einfache Bearbeitung erlaubt allgemeine Anpassungen um Ihnen zu helfen ihr Bild aufzupolieren. Diese Regeln sollen Ihnen erlauben Feinabstimmungen an ihrem Bild vorzunehmen und leichte Abweichungen der Belichtung, des Kontrastes, der Farbe usw. zu korrigieren. Selektive Bearbeitung oder sogenanntes "Spot Editing" sind nicht erlaubt. Einzige Ausnahme is das überklonen von Sensorstaub oder "Hot Pixeln".

You'll note that there are some English terms that found their way into German photoshop jargon. Translating them - in my opinion - doesn't make much sense. I think this is an interesting project. I'd be interested to help with some translations.

Message edited by author 2007-06-21 17:13:58.
 06/21/2007 10:15:03 PM · #23
Originally posted by gloda:
Okay, I gave the Basic Editing a quick try so you could get an idea how this could work. Here's what a German version could look like:
Einfache Bearbeitung
Übersicht
Die Einfache Bearbeitung erlaubt allgemeine Anpassungen um Ihnen zu helfen ihr Bild aufzupolieren. Diese Regeln sollen Ihnen erlauben Feinabstimmungen an ihrem Bild vorzunehmen und leichte Abweichungen der Belichtung, des Kontrastes, der Farbe usw. zu korrigieren. Selektive Bearbeitung oder sogenanntes "Spot Editing" sind nicht erlaubt. Einzige Ausnahme is das überklonen von Sensorstaub oder "Hot Pixeln".

You'll note that there are some English terms that found their way into German photoshop jargon. Translating them - in my opinion - doesn't make much sense. I think this is an interesting project. I'd be interested to help with some translations.


The sample -sense and syntax- is clear enough. The English terms can't be soundly translated and should, as you rightly said, remain as they are. I would, however, examine punctuation and re-read the text to find all the nouns, to assign capitals.
 06/22/2007 09:34:02 AM · #24
Uhm, okay I missed the capital for "das Überklonen", and the t for "ist", 't was a quick job. Can't find anything else though? Can't find any problems with punctuation either... But this nicely illustrates the idea of having multiple users work on the same translation.
 06/22/2007 09:53:11 AM · #25
I think there should be rules posted in about 5 or 6 languages. They do not have to be the 6 official languages of the UN and should be voted on. These should not be the official rules, but merely act as guidelines for non-English speaking members. Arguably, providing members with several languages to chose from would detract from the sites "English" character. On the other hand, I would argue that this is a good thing because it would open the site to a great deal of new photographic talent that has yet been untapped due to DPChalleng's choice to use english as its only language.
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